


Quiet Sun

by Tarlan



Series: One Way Ticket [4]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: M/M, Plot What Plot, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-02-29
Updated: 2008-02-29
Packaged: 2017-10-21 00:41:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/219028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlan/pseuds/Tarlan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone deserves a day off now and then, especially an overworked Chief Science Officer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Quiet Sun

**Author's Note:**

> Piece of fluff written for the LJ **flying_leap** challenge quote: _I think it is a pity to lose the romantic side of flying and simply to accept it as a common means of transport.... Amy Johnson_

Jack had almost forgotten what it was like to be behind the controls, having spent the past few years since accepting promotion to General with someone else piloting him from one place to another. The Puddlejumper was better than any jet though, smoother, more intuitive, the handling far easier and working like an extension to himself, anticipating almost every command. Oh, he'd flown the prototype X-302 and she'd been a real beauty right up until the part where she was supposed to jump into hyperspace but failed to lock onto the destination, almost killing him and the entire planet. He'd also piloted the Odyssey too, just the once when Daniel was turned into an Ori Prior, but that was nothing like this, feeling his mind and body merging as one with the Ancient craft, feeling the energy running through her, vibrating at his fingertips, his to command.

Beside him, Rodney was gripping the edge of the co-pilot seat looking a little pale, his crooked mouth a down-turned slash of worry, and so Jack relented, straightening the Puddlejumper out of a deep dive and roll to skim across the atmosphere of the planet Atlantis inhabited. He grinned at the muffled cursing as Rodney's white-knuckled grip loosened, hearing the word _flyboys_ along with some other derogatory terms.

Jack allowed the small Ancient craft to fly on the edge of space, with the darkness and stars just above and the blueness of the world just below, momentarily mesmerized by the powerful beauty of both. Before he joined the Stargate program, he'd flown jets and had put his name forward for one of the coveted Space Shuttle pilot positions. He'd barely noticed the letter from NASA turning him down, too numb from burying his only child after the worst day of his life, and not even Ba'al's seemingly endless torture could dent the pain of that terrible day. Later, his refusal from NASA had made little difference because he was flying higher and faster than any Space Shuttle pilot, on-board Asgard ships and Goa'uld motherships, and zipping through the atmosphere on-board experimental craft created through a merging of Asgard and Terran technology.

Now he was on Atlantis, probably the greatest spaceship of all time if he didn't include the theoretical flying city of the Nox, though he doubted he would ever see Atlantis fly in his lifetime. The Puddlejumpers were far different from their mothership of Atlantis and, like John Sheppard, Jack could appreciate them in all their beauty, feeling the energy flowing through every part of him. What he had never suspected, though, was that the Puddlejumper would link him to far more than just itself; she linked him to her co-pilot too.

Sheppard had never mentioned this and neither had Rodney, though maybe Rodney had not felt the link through his bastardized version of the ATA gene when he piloted on occasion. Sheppard must have felt it though, and said nothing. Perhaps he had not wanted Rodney to know how intimate the link could be with just a little nudge...just there.

He grinned as Rodney gasped, blue eyes rounding in shock as Jack nudged at his mind, his thin slash of a mouth opening to a pleasing 'O' that begged to be filled by tongue, or something firmer, thicker.

"What did you just...? What...?"

Jack grinned again, knowing how much it would annoy his lover to not have an answer. Instead, he let the craft dip towards the planet on a low angled trajectory, passing through fluffy cloud cover and slipping between the valleys where the mountains seemed to touch the sky, bringing fresh whimpers of fear from his lover as he navigated the rocky, mountainous terrain with ease, never once doubting either his ability or that of the Puddlejumper. Once through the mountains, he soared across an open plain, slowing without feeling any of the deceleration effects until they were hovering just a few meters above a field of whatever crop the Athosians grew on the mainland.

"Not here!" Rodney screeched, and Jack sighed, all too aware of how annoyed the Athosians would be to have them land on their crops. He let the Puddlejumper float onwards, settling down on the place specifically set aside for visits from the Atlantis; a sort of helipad for jumpers. Halling was waiting for them as the ramp descended.

"Doctor McKay, Jack O'Neill." He bowed slightly, already a little bemused as Rodney exited clutching several strange contraptions and bags.

"Here," Rodney thrust one towards Halling, who grabbed at it before it could hit the ground. "Um, Teyla mentioned something about a broken panel?"

"Ah!" Enlightened by their sudden arrival, Halling grinned and indicated towards the military-styled temporary building to the side of the village of Athosian tents which supported a series of solar panels used to collect energy to power the small Athosian settlement.

Jack smirked, seeing Halling's confusion as Rodney would normally send one of his _minions_ to fix any problems, seeing his own time as far too important to waste on insignificant mechanical faults. However, everyone had agreed that Rodney needed to take a day away from the city after the mayhem of the last five days. Energy spikes leading to catastrophic failures had kept Rodney working with little time for rest, and if anyone fresh off the _Daedalus_ had any doubts about McKay's competency to run the engineering and hard disciplines, they left them far behind when he proved he would give one hundred percent more of himself than he expected from anyone else beneath him. The vast majority of his staff had rallied around him quickly, providing the support he needed to deal with crisis after crisis, and Jack knew that those who had failed to make that same effort would request a berth on-board the Daedalus for its next return home trip. It would be a shame to lose anyone but Jack had long since accepted that not everyone was prepared to make the sort of sacrifices demanded on a weekly basis in Atlantis. It was better that these few walked away now than became a liability later on.

As for Rodney, Jack had seen the exhaustion in his lover's red-rimmed eyes, could read it in every bowed shoulder and less animated finger, too exhausted to even raise his hands to describe his ideas in the air.

With the latest disaster averted, Rodney needed some time away from Atlantis, and the rest of Atlantis needed some time away from him.

Of course, Jack's offer to fly him over to the mainland was easy enough to justify--not that he needed to do so. He really was as interested in Anthropology as his recent doctorate suggested, having warmed to the subject while listening to Daniel and from reading Daniel's copious notes on the subject while stuck in a time loop at the SGC. Fascinating talks with Teyla had led to a request to learn more of the Athosian history from Halling and the few remaining elders, and especially their pre-Wraith history.

With an indulgent grin, Jack left Rodney deeply engrossed in fixing the broken solar panel and its connection, knowing Rodney was a safe here among Teyla's people as he would be on Atlantis.

A few hours later, he saw a familiar silhouette shuffling from foot to foot beyond the doorway of Halling's tent.

"Doctor McKay, please enter."

Jack raised his eyebrows as Rodney blustered in with a smug tilt of his chin. "All fixed...and if you can stop the kids from using it as target practice then it might stay that way this time."

"Target practice?" Halling frowned, eyes widening in annoyance when Rodney produced several smoothed pebbles that the younger children used in their slingshots. "I will have a word with the younger ones."

"Yes. Well...if that's everything then..." He licked his lips and looked to Jack almost nervously.

"Then we'll say our goodbyes."

"You will not stay for the midday meal?"

Rodney's eyes lit up at the mention of food but Jack had other plans for the rest of their break from Atlantis.

"Thanks but..." Jack hooked a thumb over his shoulder at Rodney. "We have...stuff to do."

Fortunately, Rodney snapped his mouth shut on any argument to the contrary.

Halling looked bemused but nodded as he drew up to his full height, towering over both of them before reaching out and bowing his head. Jack acquiesced to the formal forehead touching between friends and allies, almost but not quite as flustered as Rodney to be on the receiving end of such a gesture from Halling. Jack could see fierce pleasure pinking Rodney's cheeks at this acceptance from the Athosian leader, barely hiding a grin as Rodney babbled about helping out anytime, while his hands waved almost erratically.

"We'll be going now," Jack stated, grabbing hold of Rodney's arm and pulling him outside before he blurted out something that he'd mean as a compliment but that would come out...not so complimentary, though Jack had a feeling Halling knew Rodney well enough by now not to take any offense.

A few minutes later, they had said their goodbyes and were slipping into the pilot and co-pilot seats on the Puddlejumper. The quick pre-flight check was barely necessary as the Puddlejumper flooded Jack's mind with status reports from the moment he swept his hand across the panel to initialize the controls. Damn, but he loved this craft.

Moments later, they were leaving the Athosian settlement far behind, flying almost low enough to skim the tops of waves on the wide ocean separating them from Atlantis as Jack followed a wide arc away from the Athosians and back towards the mainland, hundreds of miles further west. A beach of glimmering pale yellow sand and high rollers caught his attention and he made a mental note of it, figuring he'd mention it to Sheppard later but, for now, the joy of being back in the air was more than enough pleasure, especially with Rodney by his side.

Another fifteen minutes passed before Rodney decided that he'd had enough of being swooped and rolled in the small but so-responsive craft, and Jack sighed, heading inland to where Daniel had mentioned seeing a small lake. Coming up on the coordinates, Jack slowed and then circled the clear water lake set on the edge of a wooded area. It looked beautiful, and restful, and the air temperature outside was perfect, the kind of late Spring, early Summer day where you could strip down without fear of either freezing or burning.

"Perfect," he stated.

"What? There?" Rodney, of course, looked horrified at the thought of communing with nature, preferring a hermetically sealed laboratory to an allergen and bug infested piece of swamp land.

Jack grinned as he set the jumper down and lowered the ramp, dragging the grumbling, reluctant man out with him before raising the shield around the jumper to ensure nothing clambered inside while it was both open and unattended. A wide flat rock stretching out into the water provided the perfect spot to fish, with a crack in the rock just right for holding the pole and line secure while he waited for a bite. Jack was reminded, momentarily, of the small pond behind his cabin back on Earth where he'd been convinced there were no fish until recently. The lack of fish had never dented his enjoyment of those lazy days though, and he smiled in remembrance of that last team fishing day with Daniel, Sam and Teal'c.

"Is it safe?"

Jack almost laughed aloud as Rodney stepped gingerly out onto the wide rock as if half expecting it to suddenly collapse beneath his weight into the water lying just a few feet below them. Just to reassure--though mostly to shock and tease as Rodney leaped back with a squeak of fear--Jack jumped up and down a few times.

"Yep. It's safe."

This time he did chuckle at the black look he gained before Rodney stepped out and angled this way and that, searching for the most comfortable spot to sit down, grumbling under his breath the whole time, only to look up sharply as Jack ambled off.

"What? Where are you going? I thought..."

He heard Rodney scrabbling to his feet behind him, his boots clipping on the rock surface as he raced after Jack, catching up just as Jack lowered the shield and walked up the ramp.

"Oh good. You can help me carry some stuff."

"We're not leaving?"

Jack raised both eyebrows. "We only just got here." He snatched at the laptop before Rodney could reach for it, "Uh uh," and handed Rodney a picnic basket which, instead of carrying away, Rodney dropped onto the bench and started to open.

"Is this food?"

Jack leaned on the lid, enjoying the way Rodney snatched back his fingers before they got caught. "Yes...and you can look inside all you want once we've set up on that rock out there. In fact..." He grabbed a couple of blankets and ground covers, thrusting them at Rodney. "You carry those instead." Jack smirked as Rodney stomped away but was pleased to see the man had made good use of ground covers to soften where they would sprawl out after their lunch.

Less than half an hour later, most of the food was gone but Rodney looked happy and so relaxed that Jack wasn't about to mention how much the man had put away in such a short time. Instead he lay down beside Rodney, hands tucked behind his head and stared up into a clear blue sky. He smiled when Rodney rolled over, throwing an arm across Jack's waist almost casually. This was how it ought to be...lazy days lying in the sun with his lover tucked up warm and safe against his side. He closed his eyes and drifted away to the sound of Rodney's soft breathing and the ripple of water in the small lake below.

When a shadow crossed over him a little later, Jack awoke quickly, the blue of the sky replaced by Rodney's eyes staring straight down into his own. Soft lips descended, taking his in a gentle kiss full of pleasure. Jack rolled them over, crushing Rodney beneath him, devouring his mouth with his own kisses while ignoring the yelp of indignation. It took only the flick of his fingers to undo both his and Rodney's pants and shove the material aside, freeing their erections. He waited until Rodney was writhing beneath him, desperate for release, before pulling back, loving that whine of loss and frustration that came from the back of Rodney's throat. Efficiently, he stripped them both from the waist down, enjoying Rodney's eagerness as he lifted his hips then feet. Jack pushed up the dark t-shirt, bunching it beneath Rodney's armpits and bestowed hungry nips and kisses on the already hard-peaked nipples, alternating between each as Rodney squirmed beneath his weight, cock rubbing against Jack's belly. He pulled back again, spreading Rodney's legs wider apart.

"Uh uh!"

He chuckled at the soft curses that questioned everything from his parentage to his IQ, and ending with a surprised noise and a hiss as Jack pushed back one leg to expose the tight hole. Flicking the lid open on the lube one-handed, Jack pressed a liberally coated finger deep inside his lover enjoying the way Rodney's eyes glazed over, mouth going slack as he bore down on Jack's finger, greedily demanding more. Jack was more than willing to oblige, spending several more minutes preparing Rodney before sinking into the loosened sheath and sighing as Rodney wrapped the raised leg around Jack's waist.

He paused for a moment, looking down into his lover's sweaty face, seeing his cheeks flushed with passion and need, and he couldn't recall ever seeing anything more beautiful in two galaxies. Eventually, he had to move, the small tremors running through Rodney igniting something deep and needy inside of Jack. He rocked slowly, Rodney's soft gasps intermingling with incoherent babbling as he urged Jack on, harder, deeper until he was crying out, ass clenching tight around Jack's cock as he came, hands gripping at Jack with bruising strength as he sobbed through his release. A few more thrusts and Jack was joining him, emptying himself into his lover, his sweat dripping onto Rodney's shoulder, mingling with the perspiration matting the fine chest curls while the quiet sun dried his back. He collapsed onto Rodney, feeling Rodney's warm gasps breathed against his cheek, ruffling the short strands of Jack's hair.

"Off...Off. Get off me," Rodney complained without heat after a while, "Oh, this is gonna kill my back," and Jack pulled out gently before rolling onto his back next to Rodney, letting Rodney stretch and settle down on the cushioned ground.

He crept into Rodney's arms when he felt the tug of a hand, relaxing against the still sweaty, still panting body, and drifted off in a sated sleep beneath the warm rays of the mid afternoon sun.

***

Persuading Rodney to wash in the clear lake water had taken all of a minute, mostly because Jack simply pushed him in, laughing as Rodney spluttered in indignation, but they splashed and played for while before the rapidly cooling air made them aware that their day was coming to a close. The others expected them back within the relative safety of the city in a few hours and Jack was determined not to have this day ruined by a frantic Daniel dragging Sheppard all over the planet in search of them.

"We ready to go?" Rodney seemed reluctant for once, and Jack took that as a compliment from a man who was more at home in the sterility of his laboratory rather than communing with nature.

Jack checked around and nodded, certain that all had been stowed back on-board the Puddlejumper. He took the scenic route home, soaring up towards the dark reaches of space before dipping back down to skim across the top of the waves as they approached the floating city.

"Atlantis, this is O'Neill on final approach. ETA seven minutes."

"Hey Jack." It was Daniel. "We were just about to organize a search party," he murmured but Jack could hear the humor in his voice. "Welcome home."

END


End file.
